17 THE COURIER/ Photos by Cristabelle Tumola/Handout BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO AND CRISTABELLE TUMOLA Hundreds gathered so that his death would not be in vain. After the search for autistic Rego Park teen Avonte Oquendo ended tragically, mourners came out to say goodbye at his funeral, where he was remembered as a silent, yet always smiling, courageous boy. A private ceremony was held at the Greenwich Village Funeral Home in Manhattan on January 25, where a “beautiful silence” took over the room, said Leslie Burch, a close family friend. Among those paying respects was actress Holly Robinson Peete, whose son has autism. Mourners then made their way to St. Joseph’s Church, just a few blocks away, where a public mass was led by former Archbishop of New York Edward Michael Egan. “He was a strong, courageous young man who handled the struggle with autism with tremendous greatness and true nobility,” said Egan, standing next to a large portrait of Avonte. Egan also took the time to thank and recognize the efforts that went into the nearly four month search for the missing 14-year-old, after he was last seen at the Center Boulevard School in Long Island City on October 4. Offi cials confi rmed on January 21 that remains found washed up along the East River in College Point six days earlier were those of Avonte. The cause and manner of death are pending future tests, according to the medical examiner. “Police offi cers and various agencies of our beloved city made it no less clear that they too knew how precious Avonte was,” said Egan. Although Avonte’s family decided not to speak during the services Saturday, his rest in peace mother, together with his brothers and other mourners, laid white roses on top of his white casket following the release of doves. Another family member who attended the service was Avonte’s cousin and best friend, 20–year-old Noah Javan Conti from Woodside, who is mildly autistic. Rocopra Conti, who raised Noah and also attended the funeral, remembers the last time he saw Avonte. That day, the teen grabbed Rocopra’s face and gave him one last look. “That was the last moment we shared,” said Avonte laid to rest Rocopra. “I knew how to love him, I knew what he was feeling. I just wish I could have done more.” Family attorney David Perecman, who spoke at the funeral Mass, said that even though the search was concluded, the story is not fi nished. “I must ask all of you, I ask that this not be the last chapter in this very sad story. We must have at least one more,” said Perecman. “This loss that this family has cannot be in vain, we must fi nd out how to fi x our schools, we must fi nd out how to fi x the system of security that failed this boy.”
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